The leaning tower is just one attraction of this cultured university city, writes ADRIENNE CULLEN
WITH ITS FAIRY-TALE leaning tower, the Tuscan city of Pisa is one of those places that most of us first heard about when we were children, expecting any day to learn that a lungful of air from the wicked witch had brought the whole lot tumbling down.
It hasn’t happened yet. Italy’s fabled tower is, in fact, the bell tower of Pisa cathedral, the third-oldest building in the awe-inspiring Piazza del Duomo, or Cathedral Square.
And if you’re still expecting news, don’t hold your breath: it has been managing just fine since 1173.
At which point it’s probably just as well to get the rest of those pesky statistics out of the way.
The tower is 56.7m tall on its high side and 55.86m tall on its low side. And while it used to lean to the southeast at an angle of 5.5 degrees, restoration work between 1990 and 2001 means the angle is now 3.99 degrees.
The leaning tower makes Pisa pretty unusual among family-holiday destinations, as one of the few places where parents and children agree straight off on what they want to see first.
It also solves the problem of where to start your peregrinations. Piazza del Duomo, also known as Piazza dei Miracoli, or Square of Miracles, is to the north of the old town centre. As well as the cathedral, it is home to the baptistery, the leaning bell tower and Camposanto Monumentale, or Monumental Cemetery.
Between them these buildings could justify several lifetimes of perusal and scholarship. Galileo Galilei, for example, who was born here, is said to have dropped two balls, one a cannonball and the other wooden, from the leaning tower to demonstrate that their speed of descent was independent of their mass – and Pisa has dozens of other buildings of historic importance and haunting beauty.
But this is more than a slightly improbable historical backdrop. Pisa is a living city with a university renowned for its work in mathematics and the other sciences, plus two of Italy’s elite academic institutions, Scuola Normale Superiore and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna. The means that as well as being packed with tourists, it’s also packed with students, though fewer in summer.
The old town, between Piazza del Duomo and the River Arno, is where you’ll find that buzz, with charming little squares crammed with street markets and alfresco restaurants opening off the winding Via Santa Maria.
Wandering towards the river, head for Piazza Garibaldi, pretty much the exact centre of the city, next to Ponte del Mezzo, or Middle Bridge. The first thing you’ll notice is the statue of . . . Garibaldi. The second is that the square is crowded. It’s always like that, which makes it the perfect location to take a breather and people-watch.
To do that successfully you'll need an ice cream from the most famous gelateriain the city, La Bottega del Gelato, with its 1950s-style shopfront.
Refreshed by your ice cream, you’ll want to go shopping. Off Piazza Garibaldi you’ll find Borgo Stretto, Pisa’s most elegant street, full of upmarket boutiques under a magnificent series of arches. Here you’ll also find a wonderful pastry shop called Salza, and a plaque above Caffè Settimelli showing that this is where Galileo Galilei was born.
There's so much to see in Pisa that most visitors don't realise that its orto botanico, or botanic garden, is more than 450 years old – it's reputedly the oldest in Europe, and perhaps in the world.
And here’s a hidden gem. The final public work by Keith Haring – famous for his chalk drawings in New York’s subways – is on the rear wall of Chiesa di Sant’Antonio, or St Anthony’s Church.
It's called Tuttomondo, and he painted it in 1989, the year before he died. Not many people know that.
Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies to Pisa from Dublin.
5 places to stay
Royal Victoria Hotel
12 Lungarno Pacinotti, 00-39-050-940111, royalvictoria.it. For pure historical experience, this central three-star is hard to beat. Part of the building dates back to the 10th century, and the guest list over the past 1,000 years or so has included Charles Dickens, Alexander Dumas and Luigi Pirandello.
A night in this heady company will cost you as little as €80 if you’re willing to share a bathroom, or €100-€200 for more modern accommodation.
Hotel Repubblica Marinara. 81 Via Matteucci, 00-39-050-3870100, hotelrepubblicamarinara.it. This couldn’t be more different from the Royal Victoria; it opened five years ago in a new building on the banks of the Arno, and the atmosphere is international and luxurious. Singles start at about €70, doubles at €90 and junior suites at about €150.
Grand Hotel Duomo
94 Via Santa Maria, 00-39-050-561894, grandhotelduomo.it. Just 100m from the leaning tower, this four-star, 92-room hotel was built in the 1960s, using lots of cool Italian marble, and featuring high ceilings, spacious restaurants and roof gardens with panoramic views. Doubles from about €70, including breakfast.
Hotel Novecento. 37 Via Roma, 00-39-050-500323, hotelnovecento.pisa.it. This three-star is a charming period residence in the city centre with 10 rooms, all air-conditioned. One of its most attractive features is the shady courtyard garden. From €80 for a single to €150 for a double overlooking the garden.
Relais dell’Orologio
12-14 Via della Faggiola, 00-39-050-830361, hotelrelaisorologio.com. Pisa’s only centrally located five-star hotel is a sympathetically restored 14th-century manor house beside Piazza dei Miracoli. Doubles usually cost €350-€400 a night in high season; look out for the frequent offers of about €170 for a superior double.
5 places to eat
Ristorante Galileo
6-8 Via San Martino, 00-39-050- 28287, ristorantegalileo. com/en. Traditional Tuscan and, specifically, Pisan cuisine, on one of Pisa’s most beautiful streets. It started out as a humble pizzeria more than 20 years ago, and, despite its modern fine-dining reputation, pizzas are still among diners’ favourites here.
Osteria dei Cavalieri
16 Via San Frediano, 00-39-050 580858, osteriacavalieri. pisa.it. Creatively interpreted Tuscan dishes served in the historical heart of Pisa. A favourite with locals as well as tourists. Try the slow-cooked pappardelle in hare sauce.
Spaghetteria alle Bandierine.
4 Via Mercanti, 00-39-050-500000, ristoranteallebandierine.it. You can eat well and on a reasonable budget in this popular spaghetteria in the centre of Pisa. Its seafood dishes are particularly popular.
Giardino Emiliano
1 Piazza Manin, 00-39-050-8312008, giardinoemiliano.it. You will nearly always find a table at this 250-seat restaurant beside Piazza dei Miracoli. It does self-service as well as table service and is open throughout the day.
Antica Trattoria da Bruno
12 Via Luigi Bianchi, 00-39-050-560818, anticatrattoriadabruno.com. Under the management and ownership of the colourful Piero Cei for more than 30 years, this restaurant has served classic Pisan food and excellent local wine to weary travellers since the 1950s.
5 places to go
Leaning tower
Piazza del Duomo, 00-39-050-835011, opapisa.it. You must book in advance; numbers have been strictly limited since it reopened after renovations in 2001. You’ll also want to see the adjacent cathedral, baptistery and cemetery.
Piazza delle Vettovaglie
www.pisamuseoaperto.net/en/node/103. This little square in the old town is the medieval heart of Pisa. It’s home to a great vegetable market where locals shop. Little bars and restaurants line the sides. Magic.
Ancient Ships of Pisa.
Via Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli, 00-39-050-830490, cantierenavipisa.it. What makes this museum a must-see are the 10 Roman ships discovered in 1998. There’s even the skeleton of a Roman sailor.
Botanic garden
Via Luca Ghini 5, 00-39-050-2211316, biologia.unipi.it/ortobotanico. Created by Cosimo de’ Medici in the mid 16th century, this is possibly the world’s oldest botanic garden. A must for gardeners or anyone looking for an oasis.
Tuttomondo-
Keith Haring mural.
Piazza V Emanuele II, comune.pisa.it/english/ the_mural_of_keith_haring.htm. This colourful and vibrant mural, behind Chiesa di Sant’Antonio, or St Anthony’s Church, was Haring’s final work, completed months before he died of Aids.
Hit the shops
Borgo Stretto has elegant boutiques hidden under equally elegant arches. You’ll find the likes of Emporio Armani and Bianco Nero, which is popular with Pisans. Lo Sfizio is a chic local watering hole.
Hot spot
Bazeel. 1 Lungarno Pacinotti, 00-39-349- 1902586, bazeel.it. There comes a point when you need to get away from all that history and beauty, so chill in one of Pisa’s best-known cocktail bars. It’s supercool.
Coffee break
Pasticceria Salza. Borgo Stretto 44, 00-39-050-580244, salza.it. There’s no contest. Salza is a Pisan institution, famous for its cakes and taken for granted for its excellent coffee. The interior is beautiful, and, better still, the place is right on the city’s prime shopping street.
Good night out
Teatro Verdi di Pisa. 40 Via Palestro, 00-39-050-941111, teatrodipisa.pi.it. Designed by the architect Telemaco Bonaiuti, and built in 1854, this is one of Italy’s most beautiful theatres. Renovated three times during its history, it now seats more than 1,500 people, so you’ll find a varied programme, with everything from opera and dance to jazz and rock – and a great atmosphere.
Before you go
Read Ugolino, from Seamus Heaney's landmark 1979 collection, Field Work. A translation of a segment from Dante's Divine Comedy, it's the story of a 13th-century Pisan nobleman, Count Ugolino, who was accused of treason and locked in a tower to starve to death with his sons. Plane tickets booked?
Find out more
The city of Pisa’s website, comune.pisa.it, is better than it looks at first glance, with lots of detailed information.